Overview of Mexico and Its People
Location in relation to the United States
Mexico lies to the south
of the United States and borders the states California, Arizona, New Mexico,
and Texas. Although the country is located on the continent of North America,
some geographers also define Mexico as part of the larger socio-political
region known as Latin America.
Physical Features
The Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean define the western coast of
Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea form Mexico's eastern
coastline. The Rio Grande, Mexico's longest river, serves as a border with the
state of Texas. The Sierra Madre Occidental (west) and the Sierra Madre
Oriental (east) are the two major mountain ranges in Mexico.
Climate
The Mexican climate varies sharply from one region to the next. Northern
Mexico is arid (hot and dry) desert terrain. Significant mountain ranges in
Southern Mexico create three distinct climatic zones there. Tierra Fria (cold
land) describes the mountainous highlands above 6,000 feet. Tierra Templada
(temperate land) enjoys pleasant, moderate temperatures. Tierra Caliente (hot
land), ranging in elevation from 3,000 feet to sea level, leans toward 80°F
weather.
Indigenous Influence
Great Indian civilizations once ruled the land, which we now call
Mexico. The earliest known empires were those of the Mayan, Teotihuacan, and
Zapotec Indians. The enormous pyramids erected during the "Classic
Period" (250 A.D - 900 A.D.) attest to the power of Mexico's ancient
rulers and can be visited to this day.
The Toltec Indians
consolidated rule of the territories previously held by the above tribes in 900
A.D. The religion of the Toltecs centered around a feathered serpent god called
Quetzalcoatl (Ka tzahl ko ah tl), who eventually fell into disfavor because of
anti-war beliefs associated with his teachings.
The last
and greatest Indian empire to rule Mexico was established in the 1400’s by the
Aztecs. According to legend, the Aztecs were directed by their gods to build a
great city where they saw an eagle on an island in Lake Texcoco. That is the
site they chose for Tenochtitlan (Ta nok tit lahn), the center of their empire
and the area which today covers the vast expanse of Mexico City.
Spanish Influence
Spanish explorers first
landed on Mexican soil in 1517. Led by the conquistador Hernan Cortés, the
Spanish marched in toward the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. Montezuma, the Aztec
emperor, welcomed the Spanish especially Cortés, whom he believed to be the god
of Quetzalcoatl, returning as he had promised upon his exile. The Aztecs
eventually realized their mistake and a war ensued to determine who would
control the land. In August of 1521 the Spanish conquered the Aztecs, who had
no guns and hence were ill equipped to face the Spaniards in battle.
During the next 300 years, the Spanish ruled Mexico as a colony. Many of the
Aztecs and other indigenous people became slaves to Spanish colonists and were
forced to mine precious metals, such as gold and silver, which became the
property of the Spanish monarchy. Untold numbers of Indians died due to disease
and malnutrition under slavery to the Spanish colonists.
Spanish colonization brought cultural changes to
Mexico, such as the imposition of Spanish as the official language and the
conversion of many Indians to Catholicism. People from all parts of Europe and
Asia immigrated to Mexico to seek their fortune. African slaves were also
brought to Mexico by Spanish colonists.
Heroes of the Mexican Independence Movement
On September 15, 1810 a
priest named Miguel Hidalgo called upon the Mexican people to take up arms and
fight for independence from the Spanish monarchy. Unwilling to relinquish the
wealth that the colony yielded, Spain engaged in a protracted war to retain
Mexico. When Hidalgo was killed, other leaders rose up in his place. It was not
until 1821 that Mexico succeeded in winning independence from Spain.
As a result of a boundary dispute, Mexico and the United States went to war in 1846. Mexico lost the war and ceded the land, which now comprises the states of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, and Utah. In addition to the loss of territory, the war left Mexico on the brink of financial collapse and forced her to borrow money from France, England, and Spain.
In 1861, under the leadership of President Benito Juarez, Mexico stopped all payments of foreign debt. France, England, and Spain sent troops to Mexico with the intent to collect their debts. England and Spain eventually withdrew their troops, but Napoleon III of France stayed on and attempted to conquer Mexico. On May 5, 1862 a small army of Mexican soldiers defeated the superior French forces in the Battle of Puebla. This date, known as Cinco de Mayo, has been celebrated as a Mexican holiday ever since and has come to symbolize Mexican strength and independence from foreign oppressors.
Having been elected in 1857, Benito Juarez began a crusade for religious
and political reforms. Among his priorities were the separation of church and
state, confiscation of the church's vast land holdings, exclusion of clergy
from government positions, a bill of civil rights, and the right to vote for
all males.
Under the dictatorial rule of President Porfirio Díaz,
1876-1911, the majority of Mexicans lived in utter poverty while wealthy
landowners prospered. The anger and discontent of Mexico's peasantry erupted
into a revolution in 1910. Two populist generals, Pancho Villa and Emiliano
Zapata, led the Mexican Revolution to victory in 1911 when Díaz was overthrown.
In 1917 Mexico adopted a constitution modeled after that of the United States.
Peoples and Customs
Language
Spanish is the official language of Mexico. Nevertheless, approximately
7% of the country’s residents use an American Indian language such as Nahuatl,
Mayan, or Zapoteca as their primary means of communication.
Ethnic Groups
In addition to the major Indian tribes that dominated pre-colonial
Mexico, many smaller indigenous groups existed such that Mexico boasted great
cultural diversity before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.
Missionaries and fortune seekers from all parts of Europe and Asia followed.
During the mid and late 1800’s, the western port cities of Acapulco, Mazatlan,
and Puerta Vallarta, and the eastern port of Veracruz attracted many people
from the Philippines and China. Colonists also brought African slaves to the
southern part of the country. In the early and mid 1900’s Mexico served as a safe
haven for European groups escaping political and religious oppression, most
notably, Jews fleeing Russian pogroms and Nazi persecution in Europe. 
Religion
More than 90% of Mexico's people are Roman Catholics. The Spanish
missionaries who arrived in the early 1500’s after Cortés conquered the Aztecs
and worked assiduously to eradicate indigenous religions. Whereas the vast
majority of Indians converted to Catholicism, some tribes continue to engage in
traditional religious practices. It is not uncommon, however, for Christianized
Indians to mix indigenous rituals with Catholic liturgy.
Family Life
The average, middle-class Mexican Family has three to four children and
two parents. In many households, however, several generations of the same
family will still live together. Until the late 1970’s, women traditionally
bore full responsibility for household chores and child rearing while men
worked outside the home for money. Nevertheless, as in households throughout
the United States, Mexican households are relying more and more on two incomes
to provide for daily necessities and modern conveniences. The dual-income
household has thus changed the structure of family life and the belief that
women need to be looked after and taken care of by men. The more traditional
view of male and female social roles is still rather entrenched among the poor
and blue-collar working classes.
Education
Mexican law requires that all children between the ages of six and
fourteen years go to school, although in the countryside and in impoverished
urban areas, this may not actually occur. After kindergarten, children attend
six years of elementary school, followed by three years of secondary school.
After having completed, students may then choose to go to an upper secondary
school in which they are prepared for college work.
Economics
Today Mexico is a blend of traditional and modern values that are
reflected in the country's economic and social structures. Although
approximately 20% of Mexicans have the conveniences familiar to middle-class
families in the U.S., an impoverished 80% of the population lives under
conditions that seem primitive when compared to the standard of living of the
more industrialized nations. In this regard, it is still not uncommon to come
across many villages in the Mexican countryside without running water and
electricity.
ABOUT
THE COMPANY
Amalia Hernandez
In 1952, Amalia Hernandez,
dancer and choreographer, founded the Ballet Folklórico de Mexico, having
embarked, at a very early age, on a never-ending quest to rescue the dancing
traditions of Mexico. This vital search
became a basic need to reflect, not only in Mexico but the rest of the world,
the beauty of the Universe in motion, which started with the pre-Colombian
civilizations, and grew with the Hispanic influences of the Viceroyal era and
the popular strength of the Revolutionary years.
In 1954, Amalia started a series
of presentations that credited her as the Cultural Representative of Mexico to
the world at large.
The present time fades before
our eyes, and thus commences our journey through the past; The Lord of Heaven
and Earth come back to life; the Jaguars; the gods born of human flesh; thirty
different cultures that blossomed in centuries gone by, leaving behind a trail
of color in the rhythms, dances and music they created...all of this compounds
the cultural heritage that gave Amalia Hernandez the inspiration necessary to
create the Ballet Folklórico de Mexico.
The international success
achieved during the first tours and maintained through thirty-nine years of
incessant artistic endeavors, is always manifest in the excellence of the
production and serves to portray Mexico’s folklore in every city the Company
visits around the world.
This is how, starting from the
sixties, Amalia Hernandez and the Ballet Folklórico de Mexico have developed
the choreography for some 30 ballets, composed of 56 folk dances. The music, technical perfection,
sophisticated wardrobe and original choreographies grant this ballet company
its hallmark of uniqueness and quality.
Amalia Hernandez and the Ballet
Folklórico de Mexico have been distinguished with more than 200 prizes in
recognition to their artistic merits.
Norma Lopez Hernandez
Norma Lopez Hernandez, daughter
of the renowned choreographer and dancer Amalia Hernandez, has been the driving
force of a grand popular tradition ever since she took over the leadership of
the Resident Company of the Ballet Folklórico de Mexico.
As a ballerina of great
qualities and a woman of unparalleled talent for the management of the Ballet,
Norma Lopez has devoted herself completely to the supervision and artistic
direction of the company’s performances at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, in
Mexico City, and other official presentations; furthermore, she takes part in
all rehearsals as well as in the preparation and organization of the Traveling
Company while in Mexico.
Norma Lopez is a touchstone of
the world and art of Ballet. Her
mother’s words are more than enough to confirm this assertion:
“My daughter is a better director and manager than I could ever be. Without her help, it would have been impossible to transform our ballet company into what it is today, and in so little time.” This mother and daughter share in their ardent desire to enrich the world through the art of the Ballet Folklórico de Mexico.
Ballet
Folklórico: Folkloric Dance
The term folklore is used to
signify folk art, a form of expression born from the substance of a certain
group of people and deeply rooted within its most cherished traditions,
therefore becoming fixed, balanced, constantly growing and forever reflecting
the qualities only subtly refined by time, education and progress. Folklore is not a stagnant form of art, but
essentially traditional; it does not change, although it is beautified and
refined through the eyes of new generations.
Thus, Mexican folkloric or folk
dance has its origins in a pre-Hispanic era, where it adopted two ritualistic
presentations: one for war and another for religion, even though it had other
superficial variations. Fray Diego
Duran, a XVI century mestizo historian, described some forms of Mexican dance
and took pride in detailing the colorful finery swirling with the movement of
the exquisitely planned and beautifully orchestrated choreography of the folk
dances. By the same token, Juan de la
Cueva expressed his astonishment at the almost obsessive uniformity of movement
and the precision of rhythm that became apparent with the unfolding of the
dances he witnessed.
All these folk dances have
remained alive, and quite unchanged, in the heart of the people, and the unique
effort of modern Mexican choreographers has succeeded in refining and purging
these ancient dances that expressed an awe-inspired adoration to Nature,
Courage, Love and Death.
Using this inborn quality of
Mexican personality, this especial sense of interpretive dance, this easy flow
of movement and elegance of attitude that flourish into expressions of great
artistic eminence, Amalia Hernandez—through her pure technical and
choreographic guidance, loving study of original forms, and skillful teaching
expertise—developed a magnificent corps de ballet that has conquered international
acclaim by its own merits.
The Great Tenochtitlan
The northern exodus to find a place where the Aztecs were to settle and build their city, is the subject that inspired the fabulous choreography of this ballet: The Great Tenochtitlan. These people had a sign that they should look for, devouring a serpent, and they found it in the place where Mexico City stands today. The site was a great lake, and the city became known as the Great Tenochtitlan, the only city in the world that was founded in accordance to the orders of the Gods.
Tarima from Tixtla
The echo of tapping
shoes shakes the wooden stand, signaling thus, in the whirling rhythm of joy,
the warmth of the people from Guerrero and the mischief displayed in the swirl
of skirts and the incessant dialogue between the tips and the heels of the
dancers’ shoes. These rhythms are
translated into boisterous movements that aim to communicate one simple message
“the joy of life.” This is the rhythm
of a people that is willing to express, with all the strength derived from the
past, the never-ending whirlwind of life as the edges of love, the love of a
man for a woman which, for lack of a another was of making itself felt, draws
the couple to a wooden stand, called tarima. Where their bodies can
manifest, through silent and eloquent words, the feelings that dwell in the
deepest, most intimate recesses of their hearts.
Zacatecas
The geographical core of the
Mexican raison d’tre is imbedded in the waltzes and songs of love that
possess, with their heated rhythms, the young couples that, entwined, endlessly
revolve around one eternal story.
Woman, that companion through the Revolution, the one called Soldadera,
makes herself felt on the stage and delivers the fast movements and gestures
that portray the historical drama that seized her country during those
times. While fighting beside her fellow
Revolutionaries, we can but experience with the dancers two parallel stories:
the one pertaining to historic times and another that only dance could have
given birth to- the universal story of the fight for life. Thus, we see before our very eyes the
struggle between the inborn characteristics of mankind: evil and destruction
against goodness and love.
The Yaquis from Sonora
This race, that boasts
traditions that have been preserved untouched through many centuries, is
portrayed in a dramatic staging and choreography by the Ballet Folklórico de
Amalia Hernandez; it is called: The Deer Dance. In this performance, the
soloist achieved such a transmutation of personality that the fear, the
survival instinct of the deer, and the eternal fight between life and death are
present in every movement of the dancer from the moment he appears on stage.
The
precision of his movements, the grace and elasticity of every muscle and the
magical rendering he does of a beautiful being in danger of dying give the
spectator a unique opportunity to experience the drama depicted in the form of
a deer, at once real and mythical. As the story unfolds, from before the hunt
to the tragic end, we participate in the recreation of a grand work of art.
Tlacotalpan’s Festival
All dances and joyous
celebrations are moments that make life more pleasurable. In Mexico, celebrations, better known as fiestas,
help people to express their happiness at being together and, as is the case of
Tlacotalpan, with its gigantic and fabulous representations, to make fun of
notorious individuals that have helped to make history, to unite cultures and
assimilate the rhythms from the Caribbean islands, with their congas and drums, giving new life and expression to
the feelings and hopes of one people.
This Feria de Carnaval takes place the second of
February or Dia de
la Candelaria, an important date in the
Mexican calendar, where Jesus as a child is beautifully dressed and taken to
church, to the accompaniment of dancing gigantes y cabezones, those
satirical representations with large heads and tall bodies.
The climax of this fiesta
occurs in a dance, where the coming and goings of the hidden currents of
history finally take form and embrace the people.
The Concheros
Singing and dancing along the
roads traveled by their people, the Concheros or Shell Players celebrate
the great events of life. The sounds of
the shell rattles tied to their feet urge them to dance until they drop with
fatigue; their plumes take them close to the skies, to a floating sensation, to
the possibility of soaring to the rhythms created by long-gone ancestors, which
give the dancers a unique opportunity to express their courageous nature and
their personal conceptions of life and the universe. Each movement is born from the deep remembrance of ancestral
theology and, when combined they become a dance of fused Catholic and
pre-Hispanic traditions; a dance which started long before the Spanish conquest
and evolved to embrace the Holy presence of the Virgin de Guadalupe, Patron
Saint of Mexico. Simply put, is a tradition that has never been interrupted.
Their
costume, beautiful and splendent with colorful feathers, evokes the mythical
conception of a pre-Hispanic society in its movement of greatest glory.
Sones of Michoacan
With their music, these people
can boast the supremacy of joyful expression of emotion through dances and
songs. The sones or rhythms that
frame this colorful scenario make us want to stand up and follow, as if the
whole world was just one large and glorious fiesta. This interpretation if sones goes to
demonstrate that the recovery and performance of folk dances and songs that
make up the musical memory of any society, as we can undeniably establish in
these sones and jarabes from Apatzinagan, a land warmed by the
caress of the Sun.
In
these interpretations, movement and style are a part of history and, as a
while, they give us a nostalgic taste of the times and mores of a dazzling
region to which only art and folklore have access to: the fantasy of relieving
ancient traditions.
Chiapas
A land of fantasy, where we can
hold our breaths and contemplate villages, and even cities, that grow in the
heart of tropical jungles; Places where the dwellers are happy people that
abound in musical inspiration and develop beautiful folk dances.
Dance is the mainspring of life in the regions, and the marimba is almost always played as musical accompaniment because it is created out of the finest and most precious woods. These woods come from both the region as well as those brought from distant lands such as Africa which help to communicate a deep magical sense. Chiapas is filled with dances, at once seductive and gay; the peoples of these lands find their sustenance from the soil, so they sing to the Earth from the heart and offer her lullabies with their ever-present marimbas. Their costumes are inspired by tropical flowers, and reflect the zest and nobleness of the people, the beauty of the golden sands of the coast and the majesty of the wooded mountains.
Tlaxcala’a Carnival (America’s Folklore)
Folklore in Latin America
blossoms within the ferias de Carnaval or Carnival Faris, which, simply
by the names of the dances performed, give us a clue about the country they
emerged from. This is a very special
choreography, which integrates the different traditions that have influenced
this continent: from the southernmost regions to North America. Everything here evokes the joyous setting of
a fair, where natives, mestizos, folklorists and surrealists, among
others, combine the boisterous environment of a carnival in the everyday existence of the
people.
The
term carnival is synonymous with unparalleled glee, a happiness that is shared
by one and all, of a never-ending feast where diverse forms of expression come
to life hidden behind a mask that conceals a reality that dissolves among the
lights and rhythms that speak another language: the language of legends and
myths.
These
dances are: Feria Rock (Rock Fair), Danza de los paragueros (Dance of the
Umbrella Bearers), Vls de Amor (Dance of Love), Danza de la culebra (Dance of
the Snake), Tango de Seduccion (Tango of Suduction), Ronda de los siete pecados
capitals (Ring-around-a-rosy of the seven capital sins), Toreras y picador,
Danza de las cintas (Dance of the Ribbons), Danza de loss cuchillos (Dance of
the Knives), Danza funebre (Funerary Dance) and Jota Tlaxcalteca.
Jalisco
Only when one sees and hears a
young couple dancing to the accompaniment of traditional folk music, the mariachi
and the enormous energy and movement involved in the sones from Jalisco,
one can fully understand the joy, grace and beauty that are the hallmark of
these people.
Man
and woman, both proud and magnificently attired in their colorful costume,
which they display in their dance, can be difficult to find elsewhere in
Mexico. On stage we can see the strength of the make and the
provocativness of the female, finally seduced by her partner in a swirling dance
of passion that reflects, in its artistic comings and goings, the thousand and
one ways to achieve an ambition as old as time itself: the love of a
woman. Then, the man throws down his
decorative hat, stating that the final zapateo or tapping which signals
the end of the fabulous effort invested in his conquest of love.
The Gods
Here we have the dialogue
between man and his gods, the summary of Aztec theology; here we have a dance
in the fields of divine mysteries that spins around a cosmological conception
that goes beyond life and touches creation.
In this dance there is a place for the sun and the moon, the Gods of
War, the Flowers and the Myths, all implicit in a movement that
charms and, by the same token, terrifies the heart, for it is composed of
rhythms that magically recall in our souls strange experiences and sensation
that have to do with life and death: offerings to the gods, feasts to the
people in order to hide the horror of the unknown, of destruction, of hunger
and sacrifice. All of this is
transformed here into music and dance.
The gods of the four cardinal points are responsible for giving life and for this man celebrates in a dance, offering sacrifice, lighting with his faith the stage where he lives and, with the fumes of incense that float to the deepest recesses of the world, tries to uproot the evil that stalks his paradise.
The Mayas
If there ever was excellence in
art, the Mayan people represent such a civilization, for they transmitted the
excellence of love to life, art and dance through generations. Based in a choreography on a Mayan legend,
Amalia Hernandez found inspiration in the grand works of architecture and art,
this ballet combines the legends with the myths, gods, rituals and the men who
created them. As is the case of all
pre-Hispanic tradition, we have before us a magical dance that portrays, with
rhythms and scenery, a long-gone past full of glory and splendor. The space and time they knew so well are
evoked again and again in gestures, expressions and movements that embrace the
totality of the universe, in the same way that the engraving on the walls of
their temples and the magic of their legends, seem to encompass that totality
of creation.
Sugar Crop in Tamaulipas
It is the end of a time of hard
work and tears; the zafra, the time for cutting the ripe sugar cane, is
an example of the uninterrupted circles of life, where nature and work are the
sources of inspiration to celebrate the conclusions of a job well done. There are songs and dances for the time of
harvesting; sowing comes;
songs
and dances for the time of harvesting and even more songs and plenty
more dances when propel collect the fruit of this intense human effort, this
joyous event in the fields under the scorching sun and water. Therefore, they must all dance in homage to
mother earth, to celebrate together a good harvest, a fantastic zafra. So, dressed in their finery and forgetting
for the time being their working clothes and aches, men walk out of their doors
to dance with their woman in circles traced by the reatas which, surging
to the skies, seem to burst into dazzling fireworks that reflect their light in
the machetes, in an ardent rite of fertility. They all dance and sing and celebrate this way all night long,
under the sparkle of the stars that smile upon them and their joy of life.
Life is a Game
Life is a game and dancing is
how man expresses this truth: that life is but a game. What can we expect from a ballet that toys
with this concept? Only a work of art
that springs from the coming together of the game of life and the art of
dancing. The Mexican corridos,
which are songs that praise the seeds of the past, and the toy from a place
called Metepec, Amalia Hernandez found a bottomless well of inspiration to
create a fiesta within the great feast of life. There are rondas
(ring-around-a-rossies) and other children’s games; there are dangerous games
of love and, no doubt, chance plays its part in the comings and going of
humankind. In this game, this dance,
the roulette appears closely followed by the shadows of terror, bravery and
irony cast by the games of death.
Wedding at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
This is the great universal
celebration that seems to mark the end, as well as the beginning of the rites
of love. Tehuantepec, a beautiful area
in Southern Mexico, offers a great show in every wedding performed there. The ceremony is a mixture of a deep feeling
of love, and an intricate and refined sensuality: the harmony of nature, the
rites of love, the “kidnappings” that are the paramount expressions of love
between man and woman... All of this has an elegant and beautiful manifestation
in the Isthmus of Tehuantepes. The
unique headdresses, made of white starched cotton, that frame the beautiful
oval of the faces, the eyebrows and the tanned cheeks of women, are like the
pristine petals of a flower and represent the unwavering love that the couple
thus united shall forever share. Their
naked feet follow the rhythm of a slow dance; their presents, baskets of
flowers and fruit, rest upon their heads.
The dance of La Zandunga is very solemn, tempestuous at times,
and vibrates with a sense of triumph.
The melody has a certain cadence that communicates, by itself, a
delicate message of melancholy and eroticism.
The Olmecs
The legendary origins of Mexican
civilization, those go back 2000 years in time, have been left to us in
magnificent monuments and sculptures.
The Olmecs, however, a race of mysterious men, left an inheritance of a
very personal cosmic conception of a magical universe, which has served to
stimulate the sensitivity of an artist to create this choreography.
This
is the environment that gave birth to a dance through which the spectator is
compelled to participate of the secrecy of that glorious mother of
civilizations, called the Civilization of the Tiger. This dance is composed of three stages: the
preparation for the Tiger hunt celebration, the hunt of communion with
the tiger, and the ritual dance of Adoration of the Tiger.
The
participants in this dance are like wonderfully carved jade figurines that seem
to move around us.
Costumes
If someone cared to make a
statistic study of folkloric costumes, Mexico would take the first place in
variety and color. Since Pre-Hispanic
times, indigenous civilizations possessed a great treasure in costumes; the
Spanish conquistadors brought along their own variety of attires and, later on,
the French also made a contribution to this combination of styles, adding new
elements. Since 1952, Amalia Hernandez
has joined efforts with Dasha, famous theatrical designer, in the analysis of
the history of folklore, drawing inspiration from Archeology and recreating
styles that can be used in a stage performance, like the famous Mayan Ballet.
Fifteen years ago, Delfina Vargas,
Jose Gomez Rosas and Luis Alaminos joined the Ballet Folklórico and contributed
several costume designs that have enhanced the magnificence of the Ballet. Guillermo Barclay has designed Tarima from
Tixtla, Guerrero, Taxcala and the Concheros.
The work of a costume designer
begins with the analysis and selection of the most “theatrical” material;
proceeded by an investigation of objects forgotten in time, descriptions
obtained and ancient stories heard from villagers, and drawings of vanished
civilizations that left behind a collection of codices, sculptures and murals
that portray special features of their attire; and ends with the selection of
the most characteristic elements that help to create a very definite style that
corresponds with each of the different civilizations depicted on stage.
Music
Mexican people express what they
are and feel through the music and lyrics of their songs. It is easier to make
them sing than to answer the questions of others, or even their own, when they
are concerned with their human sensitivity. The constrained vitality that can
be measured and expressed forcefully in the songs from Jalisco; the deep
feeling which is scrutinized and expressed in the more poetic songs from La
Huasteca; the joy of life, the grace and sense of humor in Veracruz. The sensitivity and strength of the native
music from the Yaqui region, of the Pluma (The Feather) from Oaxaca and the
Matlachines from Aguascalientes; the musical refinement and delicacy of the
Tarascan compositions from Michoacan.
The vitality and originality of the melodies that originate in the
Northern regions: tamboras from Sinaloa, redobas from Nuevo Leon... All of this
has been assimilated into the Ballet Folklorico to emphasize the musical
feeling of the Mexican People.
Choreography
The choreography of the Ballet
Folklorico combines historical research and creativity. Original elements are used to recreate
ancient and traditional dances.
Amalia Hernandez must travel
through many places in search for the living essence of the celebrations, which
she captures in film in order to study and assimilate them. The sculptures, murals and films of those
dances still alive, are the source of inspiration for the Ballet Folklórico de
Mexico.
Once the subject or argument has
been selected, it is necessary to define the style that must characterize the
play: it will either be realistic or stylized, and therefore it is also
necessary to resort to the choreography and dance steps described by the
chroniclers of the Colonial era. Next,
the choreographer must choose and elaborate on the argument, so that players
and dancers may be clearly defined. It
is essential that choreography be natural and congruent with dance steps,
scenography, wardrobe design and lighting; there should be a perfect unity in
style to give the show a definite personality.
As is well known, choreography is the core of any ballet, its every
detail gives context to the efforts of the corps de ballet; in other words,
choreography is the quality of the spectacle.
Terms Commonly Used in Folkloric Dance
Zapateado (sah-pay-tay–áh-do) refers to a combination of dance
steps that are executed swiftly and vigorously. Each of the 31 Mexican
states (and the Federal District) has its typical zapateados. For
example, in Jalisco, the zapateado is danced to a three-beat rhythm.
Picoteado (pee-co-tay-áh-do) is an
alternating foot movement in which the dancer’s toe, then heel, touch the
floor. The movement has a brisk quality to it as the dancer quickly rolls
hi/her foot from toe to heel.
Lazado (lah-sah-do) refers to a
circular inward motion of the leg.
Remate (ray-máh-tay) is a
sequence of steps that punctuates a phrasing of steps. The remate is
characterized by a stomping-like quality.
Faldeo (fahl-d”ay-o) refers to
a movement of the skirt which the female dancer creates with her hand/hands.
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
RECIPE: CORN TORTILLAS
Ingredients:
1 cup corn meal
1 Tbsp. baking powder
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
2 tsp. corn oil
In mixing bowl, combine corn meal, baking
powder, and salt. Boil water. Mix boiling water and oil into corn meal. When
mixture cools enough to handle, divide into eight equal balls. Flatten
slightly. Place flattened ball on top of an 8-inch square of waxed paper. Cover
with a second square. Roll into 6" circle. Remove from paper. Cook on
un-greased griddle until lightly brown.
ARTS AND CRAFTS: COSTUME DESIGN
Have the students use the
dress and hat outlines to come up with their own Mexican folk dance
costume. They can use markers, crayons,
paint, cut-up magazines, or anything else they can imagine. Encourage them to make the costume as bright
and creative as possible to celebrate the Mexican tradition of colorful
costumes!
IN-CLASS DANCING
Folk
dancing is not only a Mexican activity; many cultures have their own form of
folk dancing. A good way to introduce
the class to folk dancing in general is the grand march. A grand march is a
line of dances dancing to rhythmic music that changes emotion and tempo often.
The teacher should initially lead the line; then other children can take turns.
Once the children learn to follow the leader, and repeat the leader’s steps and
body movements in time to the music, simple steps (high steps, little steps,
two foot jumps, skipping) and simple formations (making an arch and everyone
going under the arch) can be introduced. Grand marches can be done inside, or
outside on a nice day—and with a good sound system (or live music). Make sure
you use a variety of music, and start introducing the children to specific folk
dance music: Virginia Reel (American), Irish Washerwoman, Jesusita en Chihuahua
(Mexican), Mayim (Israel, Circassian Circle, Fado Blanquita (Brazil), Jarabe
Tapatio and La Negra (Mexican), Rakes of Mallow, Twelfth Street Rag and Salty
Dog Rag (USA), Caribbean and African dances music, and the Russian troika. For
the grand march, the use of these dances provides appropriate music that changes
tempo, feeling and character frequently. These dances—and other recordings of
dance music—can be obtained from a variety of sources (see box). Knowledge of
the dances used for music in the grand march is not necessary.
LEARN THE LANGUAGE
Teach children some
Spanish words. Talk about cognates. Write these words up on a piece of butcher
paper in front of the class. Practice pronunciation and learn the meanings.
Provide students with a list of these words. Have students pair up and practice
pronouncing these words and using them (or inserting) them into English
sentences. (e.g., "You are a good amigo.") Students can quiz
each other for meaning as well. Tell children to be looking for new Spanish
words all week as they're learning to add to the list.
Spanish |
English |
|
sombrero |
hat |
|
fiesta |
party |
|
flores |
flowers |
|
cinco |
five |
|
Mayo |
May |
|
puebla |
city |
|
Hola |
Hello |
|
Adios |
Goodbye |
|
verde |
green |
|
rojo |
red |
|
blanco |
white |
|
bailar |
dance |
|
comer |
eat |
|
amigo |
friend |
|
guerra |
war |
|
si |
yes |
|
celebracion |
celebration |
|
?Como estas? |
How are you? |
|
Muy bien |
Very well |
|
Por favor |
Please |
|
Gracias |
Thank you |
|
De nada |
You're welcome |
|
musica |
music |
|
fuegos artificiales |
fireworks |
BRAINSTORM: TRADITION
Mexican folk dancing is
based on a long tradition of celebration.
Each village or group has their own dances that are specific to their
traditions. On a large piece of butcher
paper or on the blackboard, have the students come up with a list of traditions
that are special to them. These
traditions may be unique to their own family, or may be a broad tradition
within their culture. Broad traditions
will help the students recognize that something they may take for granted, such
as celebrating their birthday with a birthday cake, is actually an event that
has been passed down, whereas specific traditions will help them identify what
is special about their own family celebrations. Have them research the broad traditions to find out where they
originated as well as ask family members how their own specific traditions were
started.
JOURNAL ACTIVITIES
After they have done the
brainstorming activity, have students write a journal entry about which
traditions are the most meaningful to them, and why. Have them choose two traditions: one broad and one specific. Have them imagine what their celebrations,
or even daily life, would be without any traditions in it. They can try to come up with an example of a
celebration that consists of no traditions—encourage originality.
Another journaling
option: Write a story using their new
Spanish vocabulary words. Have them use
at least 5 Spanish words. Afterwards,
have them read their short stories aloud to practice their pronunciation.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/Byrnes-celebrations/cincodemayo.html
http://www.earlychildhood.com/Articles/index.cfm?A=301&FuseAction=Article
http://www.theholidayzone.com/cinco/crecipes.html
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Dance for Power
All Rights Reserved